Events

Tuesday, 5 November 2013

25th October: Update on our grazers

Our sheep have now been moved to a new patch on the Snook, to target more Michaelmas Daisy. They are doing a fantastic job so far:

Here you can see very clearly the difference between where the sheep have grazed (on the right of the image), and the longer vegetation that was outside the pen.

A patch of Michaelmas Daisy (the bright green leafy plant) within the pen that has been throughly chewed by the sheep

Our cattle herd are also doing very well, lounging around in the dunes and grazing on rough grasses and Pirri-pirri bur. The old quarry provides them with a bit of shelter from the Holy Island gales and fresh drinking water.

Cattle herd in the old quarry

The sheep are now used to us, thanks to a bucket with a handful of feed! We are careful not to add too much feed so we are not adding more nutrients into the system, only enough to ensure the sheep will associate the bucket with feed so they will be easier to lead when the time comes to move them again (hopefully!).

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About the blog

This is Natural England's blog for Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve on the North Northumberland Coast. Posts are written by Reserve staff and volunteers, giving a variety of perspectives on the fascinating landscape of Lindisfarne, which includes Holy Island.